There is now compelling evidence that aspartame causes cancer and is a potent carcinogen

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

When I received word on this, I was not surprised at all. I have written article upon article about this substance, warning the community about the dangers, and now the dangers have become a reality.

Aspartame is one of the most popular non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) available on the market. In fact, chances are good that you or someone you know has consumed an aspartame-containing drink within the past 24 hours. While aspartame remains popular, it’s also faced controversy in recent years. Many opponents have claimed that consuming aspartame has adverse side effects, and while the US Food and Drug Administration has considered the substance—aspartame—safe since 1974, others have long questioned that finding.

A 2017 study found that in a sample of nearly 17,000 Americans, about 25% of children and roughly 41% of adults self-reported eating, or drinking a food, or beverage containing NNS, including but not limited to aspartame.

Aspartame is sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. It’s also used widely in packaged products especially those labeled as:

• diet
• sugar-free
• no or low calorie
• no, low, or zero sugar

Now, one of the world’s most common artificial sweeteners is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to two sources with knowledge of the process, pitting it against the food industry and regulators.

The World Health Organization is planning to release two new reports on the safety of the ingredient used in drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and its potential carcinogenic effect. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, has called aspartame the low-calorie sweetener of “most concern” because, it says, there is “compelling evidence that it causes cancer and is a potent carcinogen.”

Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet soft drinks to Mars’ Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm.

A question that comes to mind is how much of this product can a person safely consume? This advice for individuals comes from a separate WHO expert committee on food additives, known as JECFA (the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives), alongside determinations from national regulators.

JECFA, the WHO committee on additives, is also reviewing aspartame use this year. Its meeting began at the end of June, and it is due to announce its findings on the same day that the IARC makes its decision on July 14^th, 2023.

Since 1981, JECFA has said aspartame is safe to consume within accepted daily limits. For example, an adult weighing 60kg (132 pounds) would have to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda – depending on the amount of aspartame in the beverage every day to be at risk. Its view has been widely shared by national regulators, including in the United States and Europe.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to put ANYTHING in my body that causes cancer and could be a potent carcinogen. Community, we need to start doing more research on what we ingest, who we turn to for advice on what is good for us, and who we trust with our health and safety.